ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE
CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES

RECENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES

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Archaeologist Jonathan L. Reed has prepared a personal list of the "top ten"
archaeological discoveries in Palestine and Israel that impact on our
understanding of the Christian Scriptures and the life of
Yeshua of Nazareth (Jesus Christ). 1
The first five objects in his list are of specific objects with direct or
indirect links to the Christian Scriptures:

Joseph Caiaphas' (aka Joseph Kaifa's) ossuary: In 1st century
CE Palestine, when people died, their bodies were generally
laid in a man-made cave, and left to decompose. When this process was
completed, the family reburied the bones in a stone container -- an
ossuary. In 1990-NOV, the ossuary of the high priest Caiaphas was found.
He was aged about 60 at the time of his death. He is mentioned in
Matthew 26:3; Matthew 26:57-68; Luke 3:2; John 3:2, John 18:13-28; and
Acts 4:6. Caiaphas was also mentioned in the writings of the Jewish
historian Flavius Josephus. The Christian Scriptures state that Caiaphas
officiated at the trial(s) of Yeshua before the Sanhedrin; Acts
mentions his presence at the interrogation of Peter. 2,3

Pontius Pilate's inscription: An inscription on a building
stone was found at Caesarea Maritima, a sea port in Samaria between
Galilee and Judea. It stated that Pilate had "dedicated a Tiberium, a
public structure built in honor of the Roman emperor Tiberius." 4 It identified Pilate as a prefect. During a renovation of
a theatre during the 4th century CE, the stone had been inverted to hide
the inscription and used as a ordinary building block. The finding was
made in 1962 (one source says 1961) by Italian archaeologists. Pilate is
mentioned extensively in the Christian Scriptures: in Mark 15; Matthew 27; Luke 3, 13 and 23; John 19; Acts 3,4
and 13; and 1 Timothy 6. He was recorded as having sentenced Yeshua to
death by crucifixion in response to mob pressure, even though he could
not find any criminal act that Yeshua committed.

Apostle Peter's House: Franciscan archaeologists believe that
a simple one-room courtyard house in Capernaum, on the North shore of
the Sea of Galilee, once belonged to the Apostle Simon Peter and his
wife. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Peter moved to Rome and
become the first pope. Other Christian denominations hold conflicting
beliefs. The archaeologists excavated the site between 1968 and 1985. In
successive layers above the 1st century CE house, they found
a 4th century house church, and an octagonal 5th
century church. The bottom layer "is presumed to be the 'House of
Simon, called Peter' reported by the Spanish pilgrim, the Lady Egeria,
who visited the town sometime between 381-384 [CE] during her pilgrimage
to the Holy Land. She described in some detail how the house of 'the
prince of Apostles' had been made into a church, with its original walls
still standing." 5 If true, then this would be the
house mentioned in Mark 1:19.

The "Jesus Boat:" The ruins of a boat was discovered near the
shore of the Sea of Galilee in the mid-1980's. It was probably similar
to the boat used by the fisherman Peter and Andrew, who later became
disciples of Yeshua. It measures about 8 by 26 feet. The boat was
removed from the lake and placed in a conservation pool where it was
gradually impregnated with a special wax material for almost a decade. It was then
transferred to a museum at Kibbutz Ginnosar, where it is currently on
display. The boat has been dated to the 1st century CE by the design of pots and lamps
that were found within the boat. Carbon-14 dating on the wooden planks
confirmed that it was constructed circa 40 BCE. It
was probably used throughout much of the 1st century CE, and may have been similar to the boat mentioned in Mark 1:19, 4:37, 5:21;
and Matthew 4:21.

The skeleton of a crucified man: Although many thousands of
Jews were crucified by the Roman occupying army during the 1st and 2nd
century CE, almost of their bodies were discarded in a dump to be eaten
by scavengers. This was a calculated design by the Romans to increase the horror
and revulsion associated with crucifixion. But in 1968, the remains of a crucified man
were found in a burial cave at Giv'at ha-Mivtar, northeast of Jerusalem.
A group of five ossuaries was discovered in the cave.
One of them contained the bones of two men and a young child. One of the
men, aged from 24 to 28 years, had been crucified during the 1st
century CE. A 4.5" (11.4 cm) nail pierced the victim's right
heel bone. A small piece of wood had been placed between his heel and the
head of the nail, to prevent him from tearing his leg off while hanging
on the stake or cross. "His arms
had been tied, not nailed..." -- a common technique
of the Roman Army at the time. His name was Yehochanan (John in
English). 6
In most cases, the soldiers would break the legs of crucifixion
victims in order to hasten their death via asphyxiation. Yehochanan's legs were
deliberately fractured, apparently when he was still alive, but near
death. 7

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More recent discoveries: both apparently forgeries:

James' ossuary: A remarkable archaeological find surfaced in the antiquities market in the
mid 1980's. It may be the earliest hard evidence of the existence of Yeshua
of Nazareth (Jesus Christ). Christianity Today
reported in its OCT-21 edition and the Bible Archaeological Review
(BAR) reported in its NOV-DEC edition that an ossuary (bone box) dating from
the 1st century CE has been found with the
Aramaic inscription "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus." James,
Joseph, and Jesus (actually Yeshua) were common names at the time. Experts
originally believed that there was a remote possibility exists that the inscription refers to the biblical family of Joseph, the husband
of Mary, and their two sons Jesus and James. However, linguistics experts
subsequently "provided evidence showing that the inscription was dated
centuries after the time of Jesus." 8,9,10,11More
details

Jehoash inscription: This is a
rectangular sandstone tablet, with about a dozen lines of text in
ancient Hebrew. The inscription discusses repairs to King Solomon's temple.
If it were authentic, it would have been a unique piece of physical evidence
which would have confirmed the accuracy of portions of 2 Kings in the Hebrew Scriptures
(Old Testament). It would also have profound political implications, because
it would have verified that the temple of Solomon was located on the Temple
Mount in Jerusalem. The tablet is apparently a fake. More
details

John the Baptist cave: Results of the excavation
of a cave were announced on 2004-AUG, approximately at the same time as
a book by the head of the expedition was released. The cave is located
in a kibbutz to the west of Jerusalem. It was constructed circa 650 BCE
and used by Jews for ritual purposes. Some images have been carved into
the wall which apparently represent John the Baptist. Some archaeologists
believe that John baptized people in the cave. However, there is no
evidence that he ever visited the place. More
details.